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A fire that tore through Britain's famed 'wonkiest' pub is now being treated as arson, according to police.

The Crooked House, located in the Black Country, caught fire over the weekend and had to be bulldozed, angering residents.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says the fire brigade sent in a detector dog that sniffed out fire accelerants, which sparked the investigation.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in to discuss the following issues of the day- and more!

A Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll shows Labour's taken another hit- the party's down 4 points to 27 percent. National's up by 1.6 points to to 34.9 per cent and ACT is down slightly to 13. The Greens have also jumped by 3 points to 12 and NZ First is at 5.8 percent. Is Labour finish by this point?

ACT plans to rewrite the Sentencing Act and put the victim at the centre when sentencing criminals. Labour says this will lead to more criminals and more people in prison. Does the idea have merit?

A Sandringham liquor store owner is upset because his license wasn't renewed because the wine being sold wasn't upmarket enough and people weren't happy he was selling cheap single beers. Is this out of order?

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Hundreds of punnets of Zespri kiwifruit have been recalled in the US after routine sampling found listeria.

Testing carried out by the Kentucky Department for Public Health last month revealed that one-pound punnets of Zespri kiwifruit wasn't fit for consumption.

The Country's Jamie Mackay says the contaminated kiwifruit was sold in 14 states- but no illnesses have been reported.

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China's descent into deflation paired with rising prices in New Zealand could spell trouble.

Consumer prices in China fell for the first time in over two years, which concerns other economies battling the impact of inflation. 

NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says New Zealand exports plenty of products to China- and their economic decline creates risks.

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A major coup for the Highlanders, with former coach Jamie Joseph re-joining the franchise as the newly-created Head of Rugby.

The 53-year-old has signed on for four years and will start his role in February after his Rugby World Cup commitments with Japan.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what Jamie Joseph will do for the Highlanders here.

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Public-private partnerships have sparked debate, following the release of Health NZ's operating model.

The agency's new operating model mentions private sector participation as an investment option for hospitals- but the Government doesn't believe it's an appropriate way to fund health infrastructure.

NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says PPPs are a good deal for private businesses- but haven't worked out for taxpayers.

"The Government can always borrow money- if they make a profit, they'd have to borrow money more expensively, and it leaves us really holding the can, particularly if it goes wrong." 

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A recent survey of over 1000 dairy, sheep, beef and arable farmers found that industry confidence is at a historic low.

The Farmer Confidence survey, conducted in July, found that 1 percent of farmers were satisfied with economic conditions- and over 81 percent of respondents were unsatisfied. 

Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford says this is the worst result recorded since the Farmer Confidence survey was established in 2009.

"We've got to stand up and take notice- our red meat sector, sheep and beef farmers have been through tough times as well, and even they're saying this is the worst confidence we've ever had."

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An Auckland bottle store has been shut down after a group of neighbours complained it hadn't lived up to its promise of being boutique.

The Sandringham store, Liquids, went to renew its licence and extend its opening hours- but instead had both rejected.

Operations Manager Jithin Chittibomma says they're appealing the decision.

"We have not broken a single law, we have not broken a single condition on our licence, and we run a clean business."

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Former Cabinet Minister Alfred Ngaro's revealed the motivations behind his political comeback, saying Kiwi voters don't know who to trust.

Ngaro's formed a Christian party, to be known as New Zeal, which he'll formally launch tomorrow - just two months shy of election day.

He was a minister in Bill English's National Government, and says none of the political parties running for office this year fully embrace the Christian ethic.

Ngaro says his party will represent people across the board.

"When you run a business and you may be the owner- you could be a Christian, but you don't call it a Christian business, you call it a business. But people look upon the way that you conduct yourself, and that's what I hope that people will look at us too."

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A not-for-profit Kiwisaver provider says it's tough competing in New Zealand's banking market.

The Commerce Commission has today revealed the nation's banks are more profitable than overseas counterparts.

It's just released an initial review of those profits and plans to investigate whether a lack of competition is the problem.

Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs says most other OECD countries have open banking.

"Which opens the doors to competition. Four years ago, the Government promised that it would be here within 12 months. Four years later, it's still not here."

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